Students shine in top design competition

Bespoke door manufacturer Deuren taps into students’ creativity

Bespoke door manufacturer Deuren has enrolled the help of three design students to develop its next cutting-edge craftsmanship.

Three creative young minds from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) were chosen as the winners of a competition set by Deuren’s founder and managing director Ian Chubb, with the stand-out work now being put into production at Deuren’s West Yorkshire workshop.

Ian set the same design parameters he would give to anyone who approaches Deuren with an enquiry – no limits. He was looking for something eye-catching and truly unique for an internal door set.

The students did not disappoint. In first place, 28-year old Leigh Nikita Cain came up with a bold geometric design with sophisticated mali wenge and driftwood vinyl – a modern twist on a traditional piece of furniture.

She said: “After looking into the competition brief and researching into Deuren themselves, I found their work to be sophisticated and intriguing which was very appealing to me and so I hoped to create something of similar taste but with a twist to it. I'm over the moon that they liked and chose my design as the winner.”

Abigail Bailey came second with a striking aged wood and resin door with twig handle cast in bronze. Finally, in third place, Ben Hunter impressed by focusing on the technical composition of a door rather than the aesthetics – his work highlighted the need for adaptable doors that can easily be changed with inlays that update the look and feel of a room.

Both Leigh and Abigail’s work will now come to life when Deuren’s own craftsmen turn the concepts into reality.

I started off studying in the foundation year in Art & Design where I made loads of new friends and likeminded people where I developed my skills and knowledge within the subject.

Speaking about her time at UCLan, Leigh said: “I started off studying in the foundation year in Art & Design where I made loads of new friends and likeminded people where I developed my skills and knowledge within the subject. The tutors have all been amazing and have helped me along the way, the facilities at UCLan are fantastic too and I have learnt so much already.”

Commenting on the reason for the competition, Deuren’s founder and managing director Ian Chubb said: “We’re constantly encouraging home owners to think differently about door design. So who better to help us do that, than the creative talent of the future.

“We were truly shocked by the innovative thinking among these young students. Choosing the winners was incredibly tough.”

Deuren works with architects, interior designers, commercial clients and consumers throughout the UK. With more than 100 years’ combined door industry experience, the team has manufactured more than 3,000 doors in the last three years alone.

Leigh added that working with companies like Deuren is something that she wants to continue in the future. “I'm looking forward to stepping out in to the real world of design after my final year and putting my passion to work. When I graduate from university I hope to work with other great designers all over the world changing the way in which we live and how other people experience art and design. That would be a dream come true.”